Process of purifying water from germs by means of bromin.



TED STATES PATENT orrrcn.

MAXIMILIAN RIEGEL, OE BERLIN, GERMANY.

PROCESS OF PURIFYING WATER FROM G-ERMS BY MEANS OF BROMIN.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAXIMILIAN RIEGEL, acitizen of the German Empire, and residing at Berlin, Germany, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improved Process of Purifying aterfrom Germs by Means of Bromin, of which the following is aspecification.

The subject-matter of this invention is a process of purifying waterfrom germs by means of bromin.

The problem of rendering water free from germs without apparatus in ashort time has not as yet been solved. A method which is good in itselfhas been disclosed by Schumburg. It substantially consists in mixing thewater with a predetermined quantity of bromin and dissolved potassiumbromid (0.06 bromin in 1 liter of water) and then after 15 minutesreaction with the calculated quantity of sodium sulfite and anhydroussodium carbonate, liberating it from free bromin. The process has notbeen largely used in the art, because an exact test of the process bySurgeon-Major Dr. Schiider published in the Zeitsclwift ft'ir H g gicneand l'nfclctionsicmnlcheitcn Leipzig 1901, vol. 37, page 307, showed theutter uselessness of the method. The explanation of the striking factthat the method sometimes produced a negative result and at other timesa positive result was stated by Schiider on page 315 of the same articleto be due to the water mixed with cholera cultures containing smallparticles of cultures which are covered with a coating of bromo-albumin,and the more so the more concentrated is the added bromin solution. Theindividuals located within are then protected by the layer ofbromo-albumin from the action of the bromin. Now I have found that in anacid solution insoluble bronro-albumin is not formed at all and that indrinking water acidified, for example, with hydrochloric acid absolutelyall the germs are killed by the admixture of a bromin solution inpotassium bromid. As the insoluble layer of bromo-albumin is not formedthe bromin is able to penetrate into the central parts of theconglomerates of bacteria and to kill all the individuals. As acid,hydrochloric acid is preferably used. For various reasons allSpecification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 16, 1914. Serial No. 812,574.

Patented Apr. 28, 1914.

other acids have proved to be unsuitable. In Schumburgs process thebromin does not act as free bromin, but it combines at once with thelime of the water to form potas sium bromid and hypobromite of lime.According to the present process the lime is converted into chlorid ofcalcium, on which the bromin solution does not act; thus a free brominreaction takes place. This is recognized at once by the water mixed witha small quantity of bromin dissolved in potassium bromid being scarcelycolored yellowish, but at once assuming an intense yellow color whensome hydrochloric acid is added beforehand or subsequently. The quantityof bromin to be added and the duration of the action of the same dependson the percentage of organic substance in the water. The quantity ofhydrochloric acid to be added depends on the percentage of alkalis inthe water, so much hydrochloric acid being employed that, after completeneutralization of the lime and of the magnesia, the water still containsabout 0.05% hydrochloric acid. After the termination of the reaction thewater is mixed with that quantity of sodium carbonate which iscalculated to be sufiicient for neutralizing the hydrochloric acid andwith the calculated quantity of sodium sulfite for binding the freebromin. Instead of sodium carbonate, however, any other suitable alkalimay be used. The acid is preferably added before the admixture of thesolution of bromin in potassium-bromid or simultaneously therewith.

Example: 100 liters of Berlin town supply water are intimately mixedwith 200 grams of pure 25% hydrochloric acid. 600 grams, of a solutionconsisting of 6 g. bromin, 4.5 g. potassium bromid and 588 g. water arethen added. After 15 minutes a mixture of 9.5 g. sodium sulfite and 80.5g. dry sodium carbonate, or instead of the latter 120 g. sodiumbicarbonate is added.

1. A process of purifying water from germs consisting in mixinghydrochloric acid with the water and in adding a solution of bromin inpotassium bromid, and in then removing the free acid and the free bromintherefrom by adding a predetermined quantity of a mixture of sodiumsulfite and an alkali. dium sulfite and sodium carbonate. 10

2. A process of purifying Water from 1 In testimony whereof, I afiiX mysignature germs consisting in mixing hydrochloric in the presence of tWoWitnesses.

predetermined quantity of a mixture of soacid with the Water and insimultaneously MAXIMILIAN RIEGEL. adding a solution of bromin inpotassium \Yitnesses:

bromid, and in'then removing the free acid \VOLDEMAR HAUPT,

and the free bromin therefrom by adding a HENRY HASPER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing-the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

